No Limp Leaves

A wilted salad is a sad sight. Once cut, salads go limp quickly unless treated exactly right. Packaging salad with its own atmosphere is the solution, made possible with vacuum by Busch.

Pre-prepared salad found at the supermarket usually comes packaged in either a plastic bag or bowl. Salad leaves are very sensitive to any changes in atmosphere and will rapidly deteriorate without the proper protection. Even if not actually spoiled, they will look a lot less appetizing and might be thrown away. The right packaging and preparation during the packaging process can give cut salad a longer life.

A special atmosphere

Salad bowls are usually sealed with a plastic film lid that can be torn off when it is time to eat. But this lid is not just to make sure the salad does not fall out of the bowl into the shopping bag – it is also there to keep “normal” air out, and a specially modified atmosphere in. During the packaging process, vacuum pumps draw the normal air out of the bowl, and a special combination of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen is pumped in to replace it. The lid is then sealed, with the salad inside now safe in its own new atmosphere.

Breathing salad

But why does salad need a special atmosphere? Once picked, fruits and vegetables keep on “breathing,” consuming oxygen, expelling carbon dioxide, and creating water vapor. Normal air is fine for leaves still growing in the soil, but once cut, they need special care. A modified atmosphere for salad must contain exactly the right balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide: Oxygen should be cut down to slow down respiration, but should not be reduced too much, otherwise the salad can develop a strange taste. Too much carbon dioxide can also have a negative effect, making the salad decay faster. But, with the help of vacuum pumps from Busch, the modified atmosphere makes sure salad stays crisp and fresh for longer.